You’ll Like This Movie Cos You’re In It
The really wonderful thing about film is that it can be open for anyone and everyone to participate. All that is required is a video camera and an idea – whether you’re making a movie in Hollywood, in Bollywood, or…in Glebe.
Indeed, there I was – just five days after Hollywood’s night of nights, the Oscars – strolling through the gritty streets of Glebe on my way to a community cinema event put on by Glebe Youth Service. One of the primary goals of the Youth Service has been to help guide the young (and often disadvantaged) people of Glebe to a positive future. The youth workers firmly believe that this can be achieved by working with the youth on activities that bring the community together. Tonight’s event was coordinated by one of their tireless workers, Keiran Kevans. Keiran is surely one of the most selfless people you’re likely to meet in the welfare industry – and that’s saying something!
One of the movies screened – a short-film called The Badge – was produced by Short Black Films. Short Black Films is an initiative funded by the City of Sydney Council and run by Australian actor Vincent McManus. The idea behind Short Black Films is that they go into various inner-west suburbs and work with the local Aboriginal youth to put together short-films. The young people are involved in all aspects of the process. This includes initial brainstorming and discussion of themes, through to writing the script, acting in the film, and even producing music for the sound track. It is through this open collaboration that the great success of Short Black Films reveals itself. Show me a teenager who wouldn’t be excited to see him/herself in a movie. Or be thrilled to hear their music accompany a movie. Or revel in hearing a crowd laugh at a joke they had written. As soon as any form of ownership is associated with a project, there comes a feeling of pride, worth, and ultimately, inspiration.
Vincent McManus and Keiran Kevans are well aware of this, and while allowing the kids to tell the stories they want to, they cleverly and subtly work in important community-development messages. The Badge, loosely based on a true story, is about a couple of local Glebe kids who come into the possession of a corrupt policeman’s badge – which they then plan to use for their own benefit. A chase with the officer ensues, which is followed by some Scorsese-esque violence, and eventually the kids are left to decide whether or not to rid themselves of the badge. The film is underpinned by a sound track of grimy hip-hop music, produced by local Glebe trio Str8 Balla’z (Vinno aka Lil Cube, Kieron aka Kizz, and Wayne aka Blizz). This sound track includes their latest track No 1 2 Blame, which was produced in the music studio at Glebe Youth Service.
After a short break, Keiran announced that the mystery feature to be screened would be the award-winning Australian film 10 Canoes. I couldn’t help but smile at how perfect this choice was. Not simply because 10 Canoes is a story about the first Aborigines on the continent, but perhaps more importantly because the message in the film was similar to the one contained in The Badge. At the heart of both movies is the valuable lesson of recognising the importance of responsible decision-making: both individually, as well as part of a community.
I first saw 10 Canoes sitting alongside 1,800 middle-class folk at the open-air cinema at Mrs. Macquarie’s Chair. That experience was nowhere near as poignant as tonight, sitting on a sofa amongst 20 or so Aboriginal kids at Glebe Youth Service.
Cinema has long been about bringing together the community. In the same week that Hollywood was buzzing over the triumphant success story of Slumdog Millionaire – the film, set in India and starring mainly first-time actors from actual Mumbai slums, collected 8 Oscars – another success story of a smaller scale was taking place in downtown Glebe. Smaller yes, but certainly no less significant.
Article written by Ryan Nance & Photos taken by Mark Townsend.
Tags: australian film , Film , glebe , glebe youth service , Keiran Kevans , Lil Cube Buchannan , Mark Townsend , ryan nance , Short Black Films , The Badge , Two Flat Whites , Vincent McManus , Vinno aka ‘Lil Cube’ Buchannan , You’ll Like This Movie Cos You’re In It